Search This Blog

Syd is still learning to control her powers while also dispensing some street justice in the process. They're Not Like Us #3 continues the development of the new recruit in the house of young gifted people whose mantra comes from their cynical leader The Voice. The question is what does it all mean and where is it headed?

It opens up with a one-sided brutal bare-knuckle brawl between Syd and Gruff in some kind of odd training exercise. The training goes outdoors and a busy public space where Syd has to block out the voices in her head and concentrate. It's something we've seen countless times before where a superhero protege is learning to use his powers and through trial and error becomes more competent. There's usually a higher purpose behind it that drives their desire to fully understand their capabilities. The purpose is what I find lacking in this title. The Voice reiterates his world view as everyone who isn't gifted like them are useless sheep. And while some of that may be true it covers the same ground that we've seen up to this point. Having these great powers is wonderful but what's the group's endgame or goal? Sure, they can identify a child predator on the street and beat him to a pulp which is justified but to what end? Will they spend the rest of the series searching out bad guys to punish? It's those type of questions that linger as you read the book because the set-up is slow and as necessary it is to train Syd where are we headed? To be fair, there are some great elements including Syd as a young and willing student trying to gain control of her powers that otherwise cause her a lot of pain. She's an empathetic figure, but she's also starting to indulge in the same behavior and adopting the same arrogant mantra as the others. Despite these lingering questions about where the story is going the superior art by Simon Gane and Jordie Bellaire is amazing. No duo in comics does a better job with exteriors than Gane and Bellaire. The attention to detail in every leaf on a tree, every window on every building and the diverse assembly of character designs for a crowded sidewalk full of people is a lesson in masterful pencilling. Bellarie infuses these scenes with a varied and bright palette of colors that pop and distinguish the characters perfectly. They're Not Like Us #3 is daring but flawed. It condemns a shallow society but doesn't advance the story to make us care for these gifted people. They don't have to be likable, and they're not so far, but what is their higher purpose? And who are these people? No one outside of Syd has been developed. Going into the make-or-break issue four I hope to see some more character development and a larger sense of where the book is going. The execution is great, but the substance needs more fleshing out. I want to like this title more, but I need more concrete reasons than the cynical premise and beautiful art.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The closest we'll ever get, probably, to superheroes in real life is through the great work of cosplayers. You see them at every pop culture convention from the very basic to extremely elaborate costume design. However, you don't have to be a cosplayer to enjoy dressing up as your favorite superhero from time to time. Take fitness model and entrepreneur Gia Macool for example. An accomplished fitness competitor and model, Macool is also a big fan of DC Comics' Wonder Woman. She shows her love of the iconic Amazon Princess in her fitness wear, meal prep accessories and even a full blown photo shoot in a Wonder Woman costume.

For decades comics have featured very muscular superheroes, male and female, epitomizing the human form at its strongest. So when bodybuilders and fitness pros decide to suit up as these costumed heroes, they are the embodiment of those fictional characters in the flesh. Macool looks like she stepped out of the pages of a Wonder Woman comic with a suit …

Image Comics announces an all-new, original graphic novel Simon Says by Andre R. Frattino and Jesse Lee which will paint a post-World War II Europe in a scarlet shade of revenge this September.

Simon Says is a drama-filled, crime noir story that follows a former artist to the Führer who hunts down and seeks justice upon the Nazis he witnessed murder his friends and loved ones during the war. It is an original graphic novel inspired by true events and by a real-world Holocaust survivor, Simon Wiesenthal, an artist who lost his family and took justice into his own hands.
"Simon Says is about an innocent and gentleman, an artist, whose family and life are destroyed by a real-world event. Not something sci-fi or fanciful, but something that has happened and could happen again. In that way, it's the story of any of us, and how we would respond if who we were and what we had were lost,” said Frattino. "The real-life, famed Nazi hunter, Simon Wiesenthal, was quoted as once sayin…

J.M. Manion has long been a successful photographer covering the fitness and bodybuilding industry. He has photographed some of the strongest, well-defined physiques on the planet. He's also had a love of super-heroes and comic books. So much so that Manion began publishing his own comic book, Iron Siren Comics, featuring some of the fitness competitors he's covered as superheroes themselves. It's no wonder he sometimes incorporates superhero cosplay and body paint into photo shoots. Here are just some examples of his work:

Suspended by Internal Affairs, Detective Locke grapples with the demons of his past alongside his trusty partner, his childhood imaginary panther Spencer. But when Spencer and Locke face a scarred soldier named Roach Riley, will this unlikely pair finally meet their match?

When 'Spencer and Locke' first launched back in 2017, it was a curious novelty at first blush. The premise of "what if Calvin and Hobbes grew up in Sin City" was cute and ambitious but how could it possibly live up to the beloved comic strip with the hard edge of Frank Miller's classic? The result was a triumph that proved to be more thoughtful and impactful than expected. The combination of a hard-boiled detective story told through the lens of PTSD while paying homage to some revered properties proved to be masterful in both execution and style. David Pepose and Santiago, Jr., had found the heart and soul of the story in real emotion while being an entertaining crime drama.

Ever since Tom Hopper stepped in for Freddie Stroma on this season's Game of Thrones as Dickon Tarly, preferred son of Lord Randyll Tarly (James Faulkner), he's made quite the impression and not just for the character's funny phallic name.
*Possible spoilers ahead if you haven't seen 'Game of Thrones' Season 7, Episode 5, "Eastwatch"
We've barely gotten to know him only that's he the dutiful and loyal son to crusty old Randyll and he's got a name that makes Ser Bronn (Jerome Flynn) chuckle (and us too). The strapping neophyte on the battlefield seemed ready to break out on the show when this week his loyalty to his father led to some dire consequences.
Conquered by Daenerys’s army and dragon, Dickon, Randyll and their fellow vanquished men stood before her. She gave them a simple choice join her or die. Too proud to bend the knee, Randyll chose to die instead of following Dany who he didn't consider his queen. So far so good. Then cli…